The Unicorn of Oz
by Daniel Fielder
Summary: A young Ponyville filly named Applebloom wishes for adventure, ending up getting more than she bargained for when she ends up in another world, trying to get home to her grandmother while the evil alicorn, Nightmare Moon is after her for accidentally killing her mentor.
1. Over the Rainbow

The one movie everyone has seen and loved! With My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic characters.  
>Disclaimer: The characters of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to the Hub, Hasbro, and Lauren Faust while the Wizard of Oz belongs to MGM, Warner Brothers, Disney, and L. Frank Baum. I own nothing.<p>

**The Wizard of Oz**  
>Chapter 1: Over the Rainbow<p>

Applebloom was running through the dry colorless fields of Ponyville with her dog, Winona. She had always been a fast runner. When she was younger, she and her older sister Applejack had played tag before she began to get needed on the farm. Today though, she wasn't running for fun. She was running for fear.  
>At the border of the Apple Family's farm, Sweet Apple Acres, she stopped and looked at Winona. The Border Collie puppy blended in ridiculously with the rest of the fields it seemed, but she was always so energetic, almost in defiance of the mundane life the Apples lived.<br>"She ain't comin' yet, Winona." Applebloom gasped, letting herself sit down. "Did she hurt ya?"  
>Winona shook her head vigorously.<br>"Good, but she tried to though, didn't she?" Applebloom asked. "Come on. We'll go tell Big Mac and Granny Smith. Come on, Winona."  
>Applebloom and Winona rushed to the farm where several chicks were chirping.<br>"Granny?" Applebloom asked as she went to Granny, her white mane, green coat, and orange eyes having dulled with the rest of the colors in Ponyville. Age showed on her face since, as she said, she earned every wrinkle she got.  
>"Granny?" Applebloom asked again, trying to get her attention. "Granny, just listen ta what Luna Gulch did ta Winona-"<br>"Applebloom, please." Granny said in her ever patient way. "I'm tryin' ta count."  
>"Oh but Granny-" Applebloom began when Big Mac interrupted her. Being the oldest of her siblings, he was a good decade older than her, but his dirty blonde hair, red coat, and green eyes seemed to belong in Ponyville's setting, which made sense as the Farm had been in the family for generations according to Granny.<br>"Look, don't bother us now, AB." Big Mac said just as patiently as Granny. "This here incubator's gone bad, and we're likely ta lose a lot of our chicks."  
>"Oh, those poor little things." Applebloom remarked sadly. Then she remembered why she had been in such a rush. "Oh, but Granny, Luna Gulch hit Winona right over the back of the head with a rake just 'cause she said she gets in her garden and chases her nasty old cat every day."<br>"Applebloom-" Granny tried to say, but Applebloom just went right on, caught up in the excitement.  
>"Oh, but she doesn't do it every day." Applebloom insists. "Only once or twice a week, and you know he'd never hurt that dumb old cat of Luna's even if she did catch it. And now she says she'll-"<br>"Applebloom!" Granny said sharply. "Applebloom, we're busy."  
>Applebloom looked at the chicks peeping and sighed.<br>"Oh alright." Applebloom said as she went off and came across her sister Applejack and two of her friends, Rarity and Rainbow Dash as they worked on a busted tractor with Rarity and Rainbow Dash holding it up as Applejack worked on reattaching the apparently broken axle.  
>"How's it coming?" Rainbow Dash asked. She was a Pegasus who popped out the most with her rainbow hair, blue coat, and red eyes.<br>"Take it easy." Rarity said. She was a mare with a purple mane, white coat, and shining blue eyes. They set it down, resulting in a shout from Applejack, who was blond with an orange coat and green eyes and almost always wore a hat.  
>"Ah!" Applejack snapped. "Ya got my hoof!"<br>"Then why didn't you move your hoof out of the way?" Rainbow Dash asked agitatedly.  
>"Right on my hoof." Applejack muttered.<br>"At least it wasn't your head." Rainbow Dash muttered.  
>"Rainbow," Applebloom asked. "What am I gonna do 'bout Luna? Just 'cause Winona chases her nasty old cat every time I come home from school-"<br>"Listen kiddo, I've got those hogs to get in." Rainbow Dash said as she walked off as Applejack walked up to her.  
>"Now look here, Applebloom, you aint usin' your head 'bout Luna." Applejack said. "It's like ya haven't got any brains at all."<br>"I have too got brains!" Applebloom said agitatedly.  
>"Then why don't ya use them?" Applejack asked. "When ya come home, don't go by Luna's place, then Winona won't get into her garden, and you won't get into any trouble, see?"<br>"Oh Sis." Applebloom sighed. "Ya just won't listen, that's all."  
>"Well your head aint made a'straw, ya know." Applejack sighed, not looking where she was aiming a hammer for a lose nail and hitting her hoof. "Oh!"<br>Applebloom then went to Rainbow Dash as she had managed to get the hogs into the pen.  
>"Get in there before I make a dime bank out of you." Rainbow Dash said as he got the hogs in as Applebloom walked on the fence like a balancing beam against the fence. "Listen Applebloom, you don't have to worry about Luna. She's nothing to be afraid of. Just have a little courage, that's all."<br>"I aint afraid of her." Applebloom insisted.  
>"Then the next time she starts squawking, walk right up to her and spit in her eye." Rainbow Dash said. "That's what I'd do."<br>Applebloom chuckled as she lost her balance and fell into the pen as she called out for help, and Rainbow Dash quickly got her out of there as the other two quickly went up to her.  
>"Are you alright, Applebloom?" Applejack asked.<br>"Yeah, I'm alright." Applebloom said calming down at once. "I fell in and..."  
>She then saw Rainbow Dash still gasping as she began chuckling.<br>"Why Rainbow, you're just as scared as I am."  
>"What's the matter?" Applejack asked with a smile on her face. "Gonna let a little ol' pig make a coward out of ya?"<br>"Look at you, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said with a chuckle. "You-"  
>"Girls!" Granny called out, coming up to them. "What in Equestria are ya all standin' 'round here for?"<br>"You see, Applebloom was at the pig pen when-" Rarity began.  
>"It's no place for Applebloom near the pig pen." Granny said plainly. "There's a reason Rainbow helps us deal with them and not you and Applejack. I also saw you working on that contraption in the barn, Rarity, now playtime's over so go do your chores."<br>"Alright, Ma'am." Clark sighed good naturedly. "But someday they're gonna erect a statue of me in this town-"  
>"Well don't start posin' for it now." Granny said as Applejack chuckled. "Also, it's no good workin' on an empty stomach, have some crullers."<br>"Thanks Granny." Applejack said as she and Rarity took one each and walked off to work on the fence.  
>"And Rainbow, feed them pigs before they worry themselves inta anemia." Granny told Rainbow Dash.<br>"Right, Granny Smith." Rainbow Dash said with a sigh as Applebloom took the opportunity to talk to Granny.  
>"Granny, really, ya know what Luna said she was gonna do ta Winona? She said she was gonna-"<br>"Now Applebloom, I'm sure you're worryin' yourself over nothin'." Granny said kindly. "Now you just help us out today and find yourself a place where ya won't get inta any trouble."  
>Applebloom sighed and went to an apple tree as she sighed as Winona joined her, looking around the dull surroundings. To Applebloom, the whole town of Ponyville wouldn't look any different if it was all one big shade of gray. The only thing that ever really popped around her, especially these days, was an occasional rainbow.<br>"Someplace where there aint no trouble." Applebloom repeated. "Ya think there really is such a place, Winona? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. Someplace far, far away, beyond the moon. Beyond the rain."  
>Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high,<br>There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.  
>Somewhere over the rainbow, Skies are blue,<br>And the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true  
>Someday I'll wish upon a star<br>And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.  
>Where troubles melt like lemon drops.<br>Way above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me.  
>Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly.<br>Birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why can't I?  
>Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly.<br>Birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why can't I?  
>Applebloom heard a bird singing as she saw it fly off into the horizon and out of sight, to a more colorful place, a better place than Ponyville.<br>If happy little blue birds fly beyond the rainbow,  
>Why, oh why can't I?<br>Applebloom sighed and scratched behind Winona's ear as he panted happily. No matter where she was, she still had Winona, the one on the whole farm that never left her side.

I love the Wizard of Oz!


	2. Rushing Off

Chapter 2: Rushing Off

Luna was driving up to Sweet Apple Acres, extremely agitated. Bad enough that Applebloom's stupid dog kept ruining her garden and chasing her cat, but now she'd bitten her hind leg. She arrived at the driveway and got out as Applebloom's brother Big Macintosh was there.  
>"Big Macintosh." Luna said to get his attention.<br>"Mornin' Luna." Big Mac said calmly.  
>"I want to see you and your grandmother right away about Applebloom." Luna said in a businesslike way.<br>"Applebloom?" Big Mac asked. "What has she done?"  
>"What has she done?" Luna asked. "I'm all but lame for the bite on my hind leg."<br>"She bit ya?" Jonathan asked disbelievingly.  
>"No." Luna said. "Her dog."<br>"Oh, she bit her dog, eh?" Big Mac asked with a smirk.  
>"No." Luna huffed.<p>

In the farm, Luna was talking to Big Mac and Granny Smith.  
>"That dog is a menace to the community." Luna said, stating her case. "I'm personally taking her to my sister to make sure she's destroyed."<br>"Destroyed?" Applebloom asked in shock. "Winona? Oh, ya can't. Ya just can't!"  
>Applebloom went pleadingly to her grandmother and brother.<br>"Granny, Big Mac, ya won't let her, will ya?" Applebloom said, confident of the answer.  
>"Nope." Big Mac said. "Will we, Granny?"<br>Applebloom then rushed to Granny.  
>"Please Granny!" Applebloom begged. "Winona didn't mean ta. She didn't know she was doin' anythin' wrong. I'm the one who oughta be punished. I let her go inta her garden. Ya can send me to bed without no supper-"<br>"If you don't hand over that dog, I'll just sue and take your whole farm!" Luna snapped. "There's a law protecting ponies against dogs that bite."  
>"If Applebloom keeps her tied up, she's really gentle." Granny said in the poor puppy's defense. "With gentle people that is."<br>"Well that's for the authorities to decide." Luna said as she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Granny. "Here's the order allowing me to take him, unless you want to go against the law."  
>Granny overlooked the paper and sighed sadly over the air tight order.<br>"Well, we can't go against the law, Applebloom." Granny said with a sad sigh. "I'm afraid poor Winona will have ta go."  
>"Now you're seeing reason." Luna said as she pulled out a pet carrier. "Here's what I'm taking her in so that she can't attack me again."<br>"No, no!" Applebloom said, clutching Winona like she was another sister. "I won't let ya take her! You go away, or I'll bite ya myself!"  
>"Applebloom!" Granny said sternly, snapping Applebloom to her senses but still refusing to give up Winona.<br>"You wicked old witch!" Applebloom went on before turning back to her family. "Big Mac, Granny, don't let her take Winona, please! Stop her!"  
>Unfortunately, there was nothing the Apples could do as Applebloom was forced to let Winona go as Big Mac picked her up.<br>"Put her into the carrier, Big Mac." Granny sighed.  
>"Eyup..." Big Mac sighed as he, reluctantly, put Winona into the carrier as Luna closed the metal door and turned the small lock.<br>Applebloom could only sob at the sight before rushing to her room. At that point, Granny had enough of this. She walked right up to Luna.  
>"Luna Gulch" Granny said angrily. "Just 'cause your family owns half of this county don't mean ya own the ponies in it! Ever since you moved here, I've been dyin' to tell ya what I think of you, and now... Well bein' in mixed company, I can't say it!"<br>Granny walked off with Big Mac.

Luna went off as Winona looked at the lock. What no one but the Apples knew was that Winona was actually a very intelligent dog, and she used her teeth to turn the lock of the carrier, having seen Luna turn it to lock him in. With the carrier opened, Winona climbed to the edge of the car and jumped out, landing on her feet and rushing all the way back to Sweet Apple Acres. Winona also heard Applebloom's cries and hopped through her opened window and licking her face as Applebloom turned, and her eyes snapped to her as she smiled and hugged Winona, who licked her.  
>"Winona, buddy!" Applebloom said exuberantly. "Oh, you're back! Ya came back! I'm so glad!"<br>Winona panted happily before she noticed Applebloom's face fall.  
>"She'll be comin' back for ya in a minute." Applebloom said thoughtfully as she grabbed a picnic basket she used for travel. She wasn't about to lose Winona twice! "We've gotta get away. We've gotta run away."<br>With that, Applebloom and Winona rushed off quickly and quietly.

On the road, a young unicorn mare with a white mane, a blue coat, and purple eyes named Trixie was cooking some food as she rested. She made her living as a traveling magician, having a banner that said, more for theatricality than actual reason that she traveled to the crowned heads of Equestria. Trixie was humming to herself when a yellow coated filly with a red mane and orange eyes arrived with a Border Collie puppy.  
>"Well hello there." Trixie said. "House guests, huh? And who might you be?"<br>"Oh no, no, no." Trixie said quickly. "Now don't tell Trixie. You're... You're uh... You're traveling in disguise. No wait, that's not right. Er... Uh... You're going on a visit. No wait, Trixie's wrong. Um..."  
>Trixie glanced at the basket in the filly's mouth and saw that while there was a moderate supply of food in there, there was no blanket or the like for a picnic, so she decided to take one more stab at the girl's intentions as well as seeing a little name tag on the edge of the basket that read Applebloom.<br>"You're... Running away." Trixie finished up.  
>"How did you guess?" Applebloom asked.<br>"The Great and Powerful Trixie never guesses." Trixie said with a chuckle. "She knows. Now why are you running away? No, no, no, don't tell Trixie. They don't understand you at home. They don't appreciate you. You wanna see other lands. Big cities, big mountains, big oceans."  
>"Why it's just like ya could read what was inside a'me." Applebloom said gaping.<br>Just then, Applebloom's dog began eating some of Trixie's food.  
>"Oh, Winona, that aint polite." Applebloom gently scolded the puppy. "We aint been asked yet."<br>"Oh, she's perfectly welcomed." Trixie said with a chuckle.  
>"Now let's see." Trixie wondered. "Where were we? Um..."<br>"Please Miss Trixie, why can't we go with ya and see all the crowned heads of Equestria?" Kara asked.  
>"You know any?" Trixie asked before he remembered his banner. "Oh, you mean that thing. Well Trixie uh... Never does anything without consulting my crystal first. Just come inside dear. We'll uh... Trixie will show you."<br>Trixie went to a tent she pitched for all her stops as it was filled with various tapestries from all over, giving the place a mystical feel, and on a table was a large crystal ball.  
>"That's right." Trixie said. "Here. Just sit right down, here. That's it. This is the same genuine magic crystal used by the unicorns in the days before the three tribes came together! In which, Princess Platinum first saw the approach of Chancellor Pudding Head, Commander Hurricane, and so on. Now, you better close your eyes dear, for a moment, to be better in tune with the infinite."<br>Applebloom did so as Trixie quickly went through the girl's belongings and found a picture of herself with a green, white haired mare, a red, dirty blonde haired stallion, and an orange blonde mare all standing in front of a decent sized farm house with a picket fence before quickly setting them back, and getting ready to use her skills to set the girl on the right track.  
>"We can't do these things without reaching out into the infinite." Trixie said as she put everything back the way it was and sat opposite Applebloom. "Alright, you can open them. You can open them. We'll gaze into the crystal."<br>Trixie looked at the crystal and quickly recalled that photo Applebloom had.  
>"What's this Trixie sees?" Trixie asked dramatically. "A house with a picket fence. With a red barn, cattle, and the like."<br>"That's our farm." Applebloom said as her eyes widened.  
>"There's an old mare." Trixie went on. "She has a white mane and has a green coat. Her face is careworn"<br>"That's my Granny Smith." Applebloom remarked.  
>"Yes, she's your father's mother, I presume." Trixie said.<br>"That's right." Applebloom said. "What's she doin'?"  
>"Well uh..." Trixie said, getting ready to give the performance of her life. "Trixie can't quite see. Why she's crying. Someone has hurt her. Someone has just about broken her heart."<br>"Me?" Applebloom said a look of worry and guilt in her eyes.  
>"Well it's someone she loves very much." Trixie explained. "Someone she's been very kind to. Someone she's taken care of in sickness."<br>"I had the measles once." Applebloom remarked sadly, but she stayed right by me every minute. "What's she doin' now?"  
>"Well she's..." Trixie said, deciding to drive the young filly back to the home she belonged to as quickly as possible. "What's this?! She's... She's putting her hand on her heart. She's dropping down on the bed. That's all. The crystal's gone dark."<br>"Oh, ya don't really suppose she's sick, do you?!" Applebloom asked urgently, which was just the response Trixie was hoping for. "Oh! Oh I've gotta go home right away!"  
>"What's this?" Trixie asked. "I thought you wanted to go with me?"<br>"Oh no, no!" Applebloom went on. "I have ta get to her right away! C'mon, Winona! C'mon!"  
>Applebloom rushed off with Winona as the wind began picking up, which for anyone who spent a good deal of time in Ponyville, meant that a storm was coming.<br>"Bye Miss Trixie, and thanks a lot!" Applebloom called back as she went on.  
>"I better find a place to head to myself." Trixie said to herself as the wind continued to pick up. "There's a regular whopper of a storm coming up."<br>She then looked where Applebloom was as she put her cart into a mobile position.  
>"Poor little kid, I hope she gets home alright." Trixie remarked as she pulled the tent into the cart haphazardly and drove off for the town of Ponyville.<p>

* * *

><p>Uh-oh. We all know what this means.<p> 


	3. The Cyclone

Chapter 3: The Cyclone

Being near Cloudsdale, the town of Ponyville was no stranger to tornadoes. However, the one that was brewing up near Sweet Apple Acres was one of the worst ones that were ever seen in a good ten years.  
>"Get the animals somewhere safe!" Big Mac called out to Rarity as she made sure to keep them safe when he looked around. "Where's Applejack? Applejack?! APPLEJACK!"<br>Applejack managed to get to the others as they quickly went to the storm cellar.  
>"It's a twister!" Applejack called out. "A twister!"<br>"I know Applejack, now get down here!" Rarity said as she and Rainbow Dash opened up the storm cellar.  
>As all this was going on, Granny Smith searched frantically for Applebloom. When the storm had come up, she looked around the area, but she was nowhere to be found!<br>"Applebloom?!" Granny called out. "Applebloom?!"  
>"Come on, everybody!" Granny heard Big Mac call out. "Into the storm cellar!"<br>She went to the kids as Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash had gotten into the storm cellar as Granny talked to Big Mac, half hysterical!  
>"Big Mac, I can't find Applejack!" Granny called out. "She's somewhere out in the storm!"<br>"I'm sorry, but we can't look for her now!" Big Mac insisted. "We've gotta get in the cellar!"  
>"APPLEBLOOM!" Granny called out one last time before letting herself be taken into the cellar by Big Mac, who quickly closed the door, dulling any and all sounds outside except the roar of the tornado.<p>

Applebloom rushed back home as fast as she could. She couldn't believe how selfish and stupid she was to just run away. She wasn't even mad at Granny Smith, and by now she must've found out she was gone, and if Miss Trixie was right, she might be having a heart attack any minute!  
>Applebloom and Winona arrived home to find a huge tornado at the farm! She rushed around the farm area to see if anyone was still outside.<br>"Granny!" Applebloom called repeatedly out.  
>Finding no one, she figured everyone had made it to the storm cellar and tried to open it, but it was locked shut already.<br>"Granny!" Applebloom called out, trying to fight the roar of the wind! "Big Mac!"  
>It was no good. Her voice just couldn't carry through the door with the cyclone roaring around. With no other options, she rushed into the house with Winona.<br>"I hope Granny's okay." Applebloom said to Winona as they went to their room on the way to a staircase without windows when a window frame came loose and hit Applebloom on the head, knocking her out cold as she fell onto the bed.

Much later, Applebloom never figured out how long, she woke up and looked out the space where the window was and saw that the house was in the eye of the storm and was actually being carried up by cyclone as she could only stare.  
>And what things to stare at. A cow zoomed past mooing, only slightly annoyed, an old mare flew past in a rocking chair and waved at her, and two stallions rowed by on a row boat, waving as well as Applebloom could only meekly wave back as Winona came up.<br>"We must be up inside the cyclone!" Applebloom told Winona. "Either that, or I've lost my mind."  
>Winona barked angrily as someone passed who looked a lot like...<br>"Why..." Applebloom said. "It's Luna."  
>But she was wrong as the figure flew by closer, she was black, had black hair, fly wings with a crooked horn. She laughed evilly and flew down as the house ended up falling as well as the tornado dissipated.<br>Applebloom could only scream in terror as the house landed with a huge thud!  
>Applebloom gasped as the house had miraculously landed right side up. Frazzled, she picked Winona up along with the basket she had brought home with her and walked out the door.<br>And that is how the adventure began.

* * *

><p>Fun Fact: They shot the house landing on the witch by dropping a toy house from the tip of the camera and reversing the footage.<p> 


	4. Munchkin Land

Chapter 4: Munchkin Land

Applebloom opened the door and emerged in a place with humble buildings and filled with color, almost like a stage musical. In the center of the town was a spiral of red and yellow that led out of the small village. She looked at the farm house, slightly lopsided where it landed, but otherwise surprisingly intact, and even that seemed more colorful here, or it simply could have been the result of contrasting with the greens, yellows, blues, and reds of the place.  
>"Winona, I have a feelin; we're not in Ponyville anymore." Applebloom said as she looked around as a thought occurred to her as she looked at the colorful little village. "We must be over the rainbow!"<br>Just then, a figure flew to them, seeming to come out of the sun itself. She flew gracefully and landed as she looked around. At first, Applebloom thought she'd stumbled into the a dream or something as the rainbow haired mare had a white coat, a golden tiara with a teal diamond on it, silver slippers, and a golden bridal with a purple gem in it. However, the mare clearly held a strong presence and seemed even older than Granny Smith though she looked about the same age as the adults back home.  
>"Now I know I'm not in Ponyville." Applebloom said gaping as Winona growled nervously.<br>"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" The mare asked.  
>"Who me?" Applebloom asked. "I'm not a witch at all. I'm Applebloom from Ponyville."<br>"Oh." The mare said as she looked down at Winona. "Well is that the witch?"  
>"Winona?" Applebloom asked. "Winona's my dog."<br>"Well I'm a little muddled." The mare said with a chuckle. "The Munchkins called me because a new witch has just dropped a house on Chrysalis the Wicked Witch of the East, and there's the house, and here you are, and there's all that's left of the Wicked Witch of the East."  
>The mare pointed to the bottom of the house, and to her horror, Applebloom saw four legs with a black coat with holes in them and dazzling ruby slippers sticking out from under the house. Obviously, the house had landed on the mare Applebloom mistook for Luna.<br>"And so what the Munchkins want to know is if you're a good witch, or a bad witch." The mare finished.  
>"But I've already told ya." Applebloom insisted. "I'm not a witch at all. Witches are old and ugly."<br>Suddenly, Applebloom heard giggling all around her.  
>"What was that?" Applebloom asked.<br>"The Munchkins." The mare said with a smile. "They're laughing because I am a witch. I'm Celestia, the Witch of the North."  
>"You are?!" Applebloom said, alarmed at what she had just said. True she could get mean if she got stressed, but she tried to avoid anything horribly racist, thanks to having been raised by her grandmother, brother, and sister since she was very small.<br>"Oh, I beg your pardon!" Applebloom went on. "I've just never seen a beautiful witch before."  
>"Only bad witches are ugly." Celestia explained.<br>"But my granny told me when I was a foal that the witches had all died out in the Middle Ages or somethin' like that."  
>"Is Ponyville a civilized place?" Celestia asked.<br>"A part of Equestria." Applebloom confirmed. "One of the most civilized places in the world, despite its problems."  
>"Well that explains it." Celestia explained. "Civilized countries lost the need of witches long ago, however Oz, the land you're in right now, is cut off from the rest of the world by the Deadly Desert. So much as touch the sands of it, and you turn into sand."<br>"Holy cow!" Applebloom gasped. "So if witches are needed here, why are the Munchkins so happy about it?"  
>"The Munchkins are happy because you have freed them from the Wicked Witch of the East." Celestia began. "She ruled over them and made them slaves."<br>"Oh." Applebloom said. "But if you please, what are Munchkins?"  
>Just then, the Munchkins laughed again.<br>"The little ponies who live in this land." Celestia explained. "It's called Munchkin Land, and you are their national hero, my dear."  
>Celestia then addressed the area around them.<br>"It's alright. You may all come out and thank her."  
><em>Come out, come out,<br>Wherever you are,  
>And meet the young lady<br>Who fell from a star.  
>She fell from the sky,<br>She fell very far,  
>And Ponyville she says is the name of the star.<br>_"_Ponyville she says is the name of the star._" The Munchkins repeated as they arrived. They were clearly adults, but they were all the size of foals, with the tallest of them only coming to about Applebloom's height.  
><em>She brings you good news,<br>Or haven't you heard?  
>When she fell out of Ponyville,<br>A miracle occurred.  
><em>Feeling self conscious, Applebloom tried to explain the incident to them.  
><em>It really was no miracle.<br>What happened was just this.  
>The wind began to switch.<br>The house took pitch,  
>And suddenly the hinges<br>Started to unhitch.  
>Just then, the witch,<br>To satisfy an itch,  
>Went flying on her broomstick<br>Thumbing for a hitch.  
><em>"_And oh, what happened then was rich._" An old munchkin said.  
><em>The house began to pitch.<br>The kitchen took a slitch.  
>It landed on the Wicked Witch,<br>In the middle of a ditch,  
>Which was not a healthy thing<br>To wish upon the Wicked Witch.  
>The house began to pitch.<br>The kitchen took a slitch.  
>It landed on the Wicked Witch,<br>In the middle of a ditch,  
>Which was not a healthy thing<br>To wish upon the Wicked Witch,  
>Who began to twitch<br>And was reduced,  
>To just a stitch,<br>Of what was once  
>The Wicked Witch.<br>_Just then, several Munchkins arrived and handed Applebloom flowers.  
><em>We thank you very sweetly<br>For doing it so neatly.  
>You killed her so completely,<br>That we thank you very sweetly.  
><em>"Let the joyous news be spread!" Celestia called out. "The Wicked Old Witch at last is dead!"  
>The whole town burst into cheers and began celebrating.<br>_Ding-Dong! The Witch is dead!  
>Which old witch?<br>The Wicked Witch!  
>Ding-Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead!<br>Wake up your sleepy heads!  
>Rub your eyes! Get out of bed!<br>Wake up! The Wicked Witch is dead!  
>She's gone where the goblins go below!<br>So go blow on your horns!  
>Let's all get up and sing!<br>And ring the bells out!  
>Ding-Dong! The merry-o!<br>Sing it high! Sing it low!  
>Let them know,<br>The Wicked Witch is dead!  
><em>Just then, two figures walked up to Applebloom. One was dressed very fine, and the other was dressed as some kind of priest or cleric.  
>"<em>As mayor of the Munchkin City,<em>" the mare in the suit, the mayor, said. "_In the county of the land of Oz, I welcome you most gleefully._"  
>"<em>But we've got to verify it legally!<em>" The cleric insisted. "_To see..._"  
>"<em>To see...<em>" The mayor agreed.  
>"<em>If she...<em>"  
>"<em>If she...<em>"  
>"<em>Is morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably, and reliably dead.<em>"  
>Just then one of the taller Munchkins, dressed all in black arrived, obviously the undertaker, as he pulled out a death certificate.<br>_As Coroner, I must affirm.  
>I thoroughly examined her.<br>And she's not only nearly dead.  
>She's really most sincerely dead.<br>_"Then this is a day of independence for all the Munchkins, and their descendants!" The mayor called out.  
>"If any." The cleric added.<br>"Yes, let the joyous news be spread!" The mayor called out. "The Wicked Old Witch at last is dead!"  
><em>Ding-Dong! The Witch is dead!<br>Which old witch?  
>The Wicked Witch!<br>Ding-Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead!  
>Wake up your sleepy heads!<br>Rub your eyes! Get out of bed!  
>Wake up! The Wicked Witch is dead!<br>She's gone where the goblins go below!  
>So go blow on your horns!<br>Let's all get up and sing!  
>And ring the bells out!<br>Ding-Dong! The merry-o!  
>Sing it high! Sing it low!<br>Let them know,  
>The Wicked Witch is dead!<br>_As Applebloom was getting into the celebration, three Munchkins dressed as ballerinas danced up to her.  
><em>We represent the Lullaby League.<br>The Lullaby League.  
>The Lullaby League.<br>And in the name of the Lullaby League,  
>We wish to welcome you to Munchkin Land.<br>_As the Lullaby League danced off, three Munchkin boys, about the same age as her, but only about three quarters her height, arrived with the one in the middle holding a lollipop.  
><em>We represent the Lollipop Guild.<br>The Lollipop Guild.  
>The Lollipop Guild.<br>And in the name of the Lollipop Guild,  
>We wish to welcome you to Munchkin Land.<br>_The Munchkin in the middle handed Kara a lollipop as the Munchkins went around her, happily.  
><em>We welcome you to Munchkin Land.<br>Fa-la-la-la-la. La-la-la-la-la-la-la!  
><em>"_From now on you'll be history._" The mayor said.  
><em>You'll be hi...<br>You'll be hi...  
>You'll be history.<br>And we will glorify your name!  
><em>"_You'll be a bust!_" The cleric added.  
><em>Be a bust...<br>Be a bust...  
>In the hall of fame!<br>Fa-la-la-la-la. La-la-la-la-la-la-la!  
>Fa-la-la-la-la. La-la-la-la-la-la-la...!<br>_Just then, in a flash of smoke and fire, an alicorn mare appeared. She was dressed all in black, with a black coat and helmet. Her hair was navy blue, her eyes were green, with her skin being a very bright blue. Unlike the Witch of the East, her face was relatively normal, aside from her scowling appearance. At her sight, the Munchkins rushed off in fear.  
>"I thought you said she was dead." Applebloom said nervously.<br>"That was her sister, the Witch of the East." Celestia explained. "This is Nightmare Moon the Wicked Witch of the West. She's worse than the other one was."  
>"Who killed my sister?" The witch asked. "Who killed the Witch of the East?"<br>She then glared at Applebloom almost instinctively.  
>"Was it you?!"<br>"No!" Applebloom said quickly. "No! It was an accident! I didn't mean to kill anybody!"  
>"Well my little pretty, I can cause accidents too." The witch said with an evil smirk.<br>"Aren't you forgetting the Ruby Slippers?" Celestia asked quickly.  
>"Yes!" The witch said as her eyes widen in realization. "The slippers."<br>She went to the outstretched legs of her dead sister when the slippers were gone, and the legs withered away.  
>"They're gone!" The witch called out angrily. "The Ruby Slippers! What have you done with them?! Give them back to me, or I'll-"<br>"It's too late." Celestia said calmly as she pointed down, and to Kara's shock, she was wearing the slippers. "There they are, and there they'll stay."  
>"Give me back my slippers." Nightmare Moon said darkly. "I'm the only one who knows how to use them. They're no use to you. Give them back to me. GIVE THEM BACK!"<br>"Keep tight inside them." Celestia advised Applebloom. "Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn't want them so badly."  
>"You stay out of this, Celestia!" Nightmare Moon barked as she conjured up a ball of fire. "Or I'll fix you as well!"<br>Nightmare tossed the fireball at Applebloom when Celestia deflected it with a wall of energy.  
>"You have no power here!" Celestia said defiantly. "Begone before someone drops a house on you!"<br>The witch looked up nervously before looking back at the two.  
>"Very well." Nightmare Moon said calmly. "I'll bide my time. But as for you my fine lady, it's true I can't deal with you now as I'd like, but just try to stay away from me. Just try. I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!"<br>Nightmare Moon laughed evilly as she disappeared in another ball of fire as the Munchkins began coming back out.  
>"It's alright." Celestia assured the Munchkins. "You can get up. She's gone. It's alright. She's gone. Get up."<br>Diana then sighed as she waved her hand in front of her face.  
>"What a smell of sulfur." Celestia remarked before turning to Applebloom. "I'm afraid you've made rather a bad enemy of Nightmare Moon. The sooner you get out of Oz altogether, the safer you'll sleep, my dear."<br>"I'd give anything to get out of Oz altogether, but which is the way back to Ponyville?" Applebloom asked, thinking of the Deadly Desert and what Miss Trixie said about Granny Smith. "I can't go the way I came."  
>"No, that's true." Celestia remarked. "The only pony who might know would be the great and powerful Wizard of Oz herself."<br>All the Munchkins bowed in awe at the mention of that name.  
>"Wizard of Oz?" Applebloom asked. "Is she good, or is he wicked?"<br>"Oh very good, but very mysterious." Celestia said knowingly. "She lives in the Emerald City. That's a long journey from here. Did you bring your broomstick with you?"  
>"...No, I'm afraid I didn't." Applebloom said with a sigh.<br>"Well then, you'll have to walk." Celestia explained. "The Munchkins will see you safely to the border of Munchkin Land, and remember, never let those Ruby Slippers off your feet for a moment, or you will be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West."  
>"But..." Applebloom began, caught off-guard by Celestia's apparent departure. "How do I start for Emerald City?"<br>"It's always best to start at the beginning." Celestia explained. "All you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road."  
>Applebloom went to the edge of the spiral pattern where the yellow brick started.<br>"But, what happens if I-?" Applebloom began when Celestia cut her off.  
>"Just follow the Yellow Brick Road."<br>Celestia then flew off and disappeared into the horizon.  
>"My!" Applebloom said in awe of her soaring off. "Ponies come and go here so quickly."<br>Applebloom then sighed as the Munchkins chuckled at her remark.  
>"Follow the Yellow Brick Road." Applebloom said to herself. "Follow the Yellow Brick Road?"<br>"Follow the Yellow Brick Road." The Mayor replied.  
>"Follow the Yellow Brick Road." A Munchkin stallion said also.<br>"Follow the Yellow Brick Road." A Munchkin mare repeated.  
>"Follow the Yellow Brick Road." The cleric repeated also.<br>_Follow the Yellow Brick Road.  
>Follow the Yellow Brick Road!<br>Follow, follow, follow,  
>Follow the Yellow Brick Road!<br>Follow the Yellow Brick  
>Follow the Yellow Brick<br>Follow the Yellow Brick Road!  
>You're off to find the Wizard,<br>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!  
>You'll find she is the Wiz,<br>The Wiz if ever the Wiz there was!  
>If ever the Wonderful Wiz there was,<br>There is because, because, because, because...  
>Because of the wonderful things she does!<br>You're off to find the Wizard,  
>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!<br>_The lively tune the Munchkins sung to see her off, seemed to fill Applebloom with energy as she skipped along the road with Winona, heading out of the village and down the Yellow Brick Road with Winona, ready to get her way back home and get back to Granny Smith.

* * *

><p>Oh... This was a hard one to finish.<p> 


	5. If I Only Had a Brain

Chapter 5: If I Only Had a Brain

Applebloom continued her journey with relative ease into a cornfield when she came to a fork in the road with a scarecrow in a hat with orange cloth to make a coat, painted with a mouth and green eyes, and yellow yawn for hair staked in the middle to protect the field from crows.  
>"Follow the Yellow Brick Road." Applebloom said as she looked around. "Follow the Yellow..."<br>She looked at the two paths and sighed as no one had mentioned a fork in the road.  
>"Now which way do we go?" Applebloom asked with a sigh.<br>"Beg pardon," said a voice that came from apparently nowhere. "That way is a very nice way."  
>Applebloom looked around, but the only thing there was the scarecrow, with a foreleg pointing to the left.<br>"Who said that?" Applebloom asked quickly.  
>Winona, however, was barking at the scarecrow.<br>"Don't be silly, Winona." Applebloom remarked. "Scarecrows don't talk."  
>"It's pleasant down that way too." The voice said as Applebloom looked up, and the scarecrow was pointing the other way.<br>"That's funny." Applebloom pondered. "Wasn't she pointin' in the other direction?"  
>"A'course ponies do go both ways." The voice said, most definitely coming from the scarecrow as she crossed her forelegs to point at both roads.<br>Applebloom could only stare in disbelief. Witches being real in this land was one thing, but she'd never heard of a talking scarecrow before.  
>"Why, ya did say somethin', didn't ya?" Applebloom asked.<br>The scarecrow shook her head before nodding it and shaking it again.  
>"Are ya doin' that on purpose, or can't ya make up your mind?" Applebloom asked.<br>"That's just the trouble." The scarecrow said. "I can't make up my mind. I aint got a brain. Only straw."  
>"Well how can ya talk if ya don't have a brain?" Applebloom asked.<br>"I don't know." The scarecrow asked. "But some ponies without brains do an awful lot of talkin', don't they?"  
>"Yes, I guess you're right." Applebloom admitted. "Well, we haven't really met properly, have we?"<br>"Why no." The scarecrow agreed.  
>"How do ya do?" Applebloom asked.<br>"How do ya do." The scarecrow responded.  
>"Very well, thank you." Applebloom said with a smile.<br>"Oh, I'm aint feeling at all well." The scarecrow said. "Ya see it's very borin' being stuck up here all day long with a pole up your back."  
>"Oh dear." Applebloom said, realizing how uncomfortable it must be. "That must be terribly uncomfortable. Can't ya get down?"<br>"Down?" The scarecrow asked. "Well no. Ya see I'm... Well I don't really know how I'm held up here."  
>"Oh, well here." Applebloom said as she went to the back of the pole and looked for a rope or something tying the scarecrow to it.<br>"Oh that's mighty kind of ya." The scarecrow said with a smile. "Mighty kind."  
>"Oh dear." Applebloom said as she was having trouble herself. "I don't see what I can do here."<br>"Course I'm not bright 'bout doin' things." The scarecrow began. "But if ya just bend a nail down in the back, maybe I'll slip off and-"  
>"Oh yes!" Applebloom remarked as she bent an outstretched nail down, and she fell down, and a chunk of straw fell out of her chest, which opened suddenly from a snag.<br>"Whoops!" The scarecrow said with a chuckle. "There goes some of me again."  
>"Oh, does it hurt ya?" Applebloom asked alarmed at part of a person coming out of him.<br>"Oh no." The scarecrow assured her. "I just pick it up and put it back in again."  
>"I'm Applebloom." Applebloom said.<br>"Nice ta meet ya." The Scarecrow replied. "Oh, it's good to be free!"  
>The scarecrow did a somersault as he slipped and rolled down the hill onto the road.<br>"Oh!" Applebloom called out in alarm. "Oh!"  
>"Did I scare ya?" The Scarecrow asked eagerly.<br>"Oh no." Applebloom assured him. "I just thought you hurt yourself."  
>"But I didn't scare ya?" Scarecrow asked.<br>"No." Applebloom said plainly. "A'course not."  
>"I didn't think so." Scarecrow said as a crow began chewing on her shoulder. "Scat! Shoo! Go away!"<br>The crow just laughed and flew off.  
>"Ya see?" Scarecrow asked Applebloom. "I can't even scare a crow. They come from miles around just ta eat in my field and laugh in my face. Oh, I'm a failure 'cause I aint got no brain."<br>"Well, what would ya do with a brain if ya had one?" Applebloom asked.  
>"Do?" Scarecrow asked as he thought about it. "Why if I had a brain, I could..."<br>_I could while away the hours._  
><em>Confirmin' with the flowers.<em>  
><em>Consultin' with the rain.<em>  
><em>In my head, I'd be scratching<em>  
><em>While my thoughts were busy hatching<em>  
><em>If I only had a brain.<em>  
><em>I'd unravel any riddle<em>  
><em>For any individual<em>  
><em>In trouble or in pain.<em>  
>"<em>With the thoughts you'd be thinkin', you could be another Lincoln if ya only had a brain.<em>" Applebloom agreed with a smile.  
><em>Oh I could tell you why<em>  
><em>The ocean's near the shore.<em>  
><em>I could think of things I never thunk before,<em>  
><em>And then I'd sit and think some more.<em>  
><em>I would not be just a nothin'.<em>  
><em>My head all full of stuffin'.<em>  
><em>My heart all full of pain.<em>  
><em>I would dance and be merry!<em>  
><em>Life would be a dingy dairy<em>  
><em>If I only had a brain!<em>  
>Scarecrow hopped around, getting used to her new legs as she finished up next to Applebloom.<br>"Wonderful!" Applebloom remarked. "Why if our scarecrows back in Ponyville could do that, the crows would be scared ta pieces."  
>"They would?" Scarecrow asked with a smile before she got a look in her eyes. "Where's Ponyville?"<br>"It's where I live." Applebloom explained. "And I wanna get back there so badly, I'm going to ask the great Wizard of Oz to help me."  
>"You're going ta see a wizard?" Applejack asked. "Do you think if I went with ya, this wizard could give me some brains?"<br>"I couldn't say." Applebloom replied. "But even if she didn't, you'd be no worse off than ya are now."  
>"Yes, that's true." Scarecrow said in a way one receives news that's neither good or bad.<br>"But maybe ya better not." Applebloom said after she looked at her slippers, the Ruby Slippers Nightmare Moon was after. "But maybe you better not. I've got a witch mad at me, and you might get into trouble."  
>"Witch?" Scarecrow scoffed. "I aint afraid a'no witch. I aint afraid a'nothin'."<br>Scarecrow then looked herself over and whispered in Applebloom's ear.  
>"'Cept a lighted match."<br>"I don't blame ya for that." Applebloom said truthfully.  
>"But I'd face a whole box of 'em at the chance to get some brains!" Scarecrow declared. "Look, I won't be no trouble 'cause I don't eat a thing, and I won't try to manage things 'cause I can't think. Won't you take me with ya?"<br>"Why a'course I will." Applebloom said with a heartfelt smile.  
>"Yee-ha!" Scarecrow cheered. "We're off to see a wizard!"<br>"Well you're not starting off very well!" Applebloom said as Scarecrow hopped around.  
>"Oh, I'll try!" Scarecrow said. "Really, I will!"<br>"To Oz?" Applebloom said with a smile, offering her foreleg.  
>"To Oz." Scarecrow repeated, taking the foreleg as they danced down the left fork of the Yellow Brick Road.<br>_We're off to find the Wizard,_  
><em>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!<em>  
><em>You'll find he is the Wiz,<em>  
><em>The Wiz if ever the Wiz there was!<em>  
><em>If ever the Wonderful Wiz there was,<em>  
><em>There is because, because, because, because...<em>  
><em>Because of the wonderful things he does!<em>  
><em>We're off to see the Wizard,<em>  
><em>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!<em>  
>The new friends then headed off, with Applebloom feeling an odd familiarity about Scarecrow that she couldn't shake no matter how hard she tried.<p>

* * *

><p>And Applebloom's met the stand in for my favorite character.<p> 


	6. If I Only Had a Heart

Chapter 6: If I Only Had a Heart

The duo of Applebloom and the Scarecrow went along the Yellow Brick Road, with Winona bringing up the rear. Unknown to anyone there, a black coated mare watched from the shadows before disappearing into the distance.  
>As the walk went on, they came across a wild apple orchard as Applebloom smiled.<br>"Oh, apples!" Applebloom said excitedly. She, like the rest of her family, always enjoyed apples for a snack. "Oh look!"  
>Applebloom went to pick one as the tree branch suddenly grabbed her hand, took the apple and flung it down.<br>"Ouch!" Applebloom said as the branch let go, stinging her hand.  
>"What do you think you're doing?" The tree asked.<br>"We were walkin' a long way, and I was hungry, and-" Applebloom began when she suddenly realized what she was doing. "Did you say somethin'?"  
>"She was hungry." The tree scoffed to the rest of the orchard who repeated what the tree had said. "Well, how would you like it if someone came along and picked something off of you?"<br>"Oh dear." Applebloom sighed. "I keep forgettin' I'm not in Ponyville."  
>"Come on now, Applebloom." Applejack said dismissively. "Ya don't want none of those apples."<br>"Are you eating my apples on what they ought to be?" The tree asked, seeming even angrier.  
>"Oh no." Scarecrow assured him. "It's just that she don't like little green worms."<br>"Why you-!" The tree began as it grabbed Applebloom, but Scarecrow quickly pulled her away, but stopped her from running away.  
>"Hush." Scarecrow whispered to her. "Don't ya wanna get some apples?"<br>The trees then proceeded to fling various apples at them as the two quickly grabbed them.  
>"Yee-ha!" Scarecrow called out. "I guess that did it. Help yourself."<br>The two went to collect the apples that rolled away as Applebloom followed one apple to a silver statue. Applebloom knocked on it, and it made a muffled bonging sound. It was made of tin. Applebloom then looked up to see that it was a statue of a mare with purple silk for hair.  
>"Why it's a mare." Applebloom said to herself. "A mare made outta tin!"<br>Scarecrow arrived, having heard Applebloom, and looking over the statue with her. As they looked over the figure, they heard a muttering.  
>"Did you say something?" Applebloom asked as the tin mare muttered again. "She said oil can."<br>"Oil can what?" Scarecrow asked.  
>"Oh!" Applebloom said as she looked down and grabbed an oil can. "Here it is. Where do ya wanna be oiled first?"<br>The tin mare muttered as Scarecrow listened hard.  
>"She said her mouth." Scarecrow said as she oiled the mouth as the tin mare moved her jaw and finally opened it.<br>"My goodness!" The tin mare gasped happily. "I can talk again! Oh, oil my legs please. Oil my knees."  
>Scarecrow did as she was told as the tin mare began to stiffly move her legs around as her joints squeaked badly when her left foreleg, which held an ax, was finally loose enough to come fully down, she sighed.<br>"Oh, does that hurt?" Applebloom asked.  
>"No." The tin mare said. "It feels wonderful. I've been holding that ax up for ages."<br>"Goodness!" Applebloom remarked as Scarecrow oiled the tin man's legs. "How did ya ever get like this?"  
>"Well," The tin mare began. "I was born as a normal pony. I got a job chopping trees for lumber. For some malicious reason I'll never know, the Wicked Witch of the East enchanted my ax so that it cut off my hind leg, but my father was a great tins stallion, so he made me a new leg of tin, but this didn't sit well with the witch at all, so she had the ax chop off more and more of me until my father eventually had to remake me into tin, keeping everything attached and moveable by means of joints. Then, about a year ago, I was chopping down that tree when suddenly it began to rain, and right in the middle of a chop, I rusted solid, and I've been that way ever since."<br>Tin Mare then began moving her legs, stumbling a little from having them much looser and movable than they'd been from the past year as Scarecrow and Applebloom helped steady him.  
>"Well, you're perfect now." Applebloom said cheerily.<br>"Perfect?" Tin Mare asked incredulously. "Bang on my chest if you think I'm perfect. Go ahead, bang on it!"  
>Applebloom banged on the chest as they heard the echo for a good minute or so.<br>"Beautiful!" Scarecrow remarked. "What an echo!"  
>"It's empty." Tin Mare remarked. "My father forgot to give me a heart."<br>"No heart?" Applebloom and Scarecrow asked.  
>"No heart." Tin Mare confirmed. "All hollow."<br>_When a mare's an empty kettle,  
>She should be on her meddle,<br>And yet I'm torn apart.  
>Just because I'm presuming<br>That I could be equestrian  
>If I only had a heart.<br>I'd be tender; I'd be gentle  
>And awfully sentimental<br>Regarding love and heart.  
>I'd be friends with the sparrows<br>And the boy who shoots the arrows  
>If I only had a heart.<br>Picture me a balcony.  
>A lover's voice sings low.<br>"Where for art thou, Romeo?"  
>I hear a beat.<br>How sweet.  
>Just to register emotion.<br>Jealousy, devotion,  
>And really feel the part.<br>I would stay young and chipper,  
>And I'd lock it with a zipper<br>If I only had a heart.  
><em>Tin Mare then began moving around to loosen up her legs, with occasional doses of oil here and there from the duo as Scarecrow and Applebloom began whispering to each other about an idea they both got. Just then, Tin Mare lost her balance as the two caught her.  
>"Are ya alright?" Applebloom asked.<br>"I'm afraid I'm still a little rusty yet." Tin Mare confirmed.  
>"Oh dear." Applebloom remarked, imagining that standing outside for a year probably didn't help her original condition. "That was wonderful. Ya know, we were just wonderin' why ya couldn't come with us ta ask the Wizard of Oz for a heart."<br>"Well suppose the Wizard didn't give me one when we got there?" Tin Mare asked.  
>"Oh but he will!" Applebloom said optimistically. "He must! We've come such a long way already."<br>Just then, horribly familiar laughter occurred, and they turned to a shed that Applebloom presumed was where Tin Mare lived as Nightmare Moon was there.  
>"You call that long?" The witch asked with a scoff. "Why you've only just begun. Helping the little filly along are you my fine ladies? Well stay away from her."<br>The with then turned to Scarecrow.  
>"Or I'll stuff a mattress with you." The witch remarked before turning to Tin Mare. "And you, I'll use you for a beehive! Here Scarecrow, you wanna play ball?"<br>The witch then set out a fireball as she laughed and disappeared while Scarecrow quickly backed away while Tin Mare stamped it out. As the two sighed, they looked at a trembling Applebloom.  
>"I aint afraid a'her! I'll see ya get safely ta the Wizard now whether I get a brain or not!" Scarecrow said before addressing the area the witch was at. "Stuff a mattress with me. Pah."<br>"I'll see you to the Wizard whether I got a heart or not." Tin Mare agreed as he also addressed the witch's threat. "Beehive. Bah. Let her try and make a beehive out of me!"  
>Tin Mare then pointed to herself, knocking her finger into her head as it made a clink sound as she looked at it.<br>"Oh, you're the best friends anypony ever had." Applebloom said with a smile before she began wondering. "And it's funny, but I feel as if I've known ya all the time, but I couldn't have, could I?"  
>"I don't see how." Scarecrow pointed out. "Ya weren't around when I was stuffed and sown together, were ya?"<br>"And I was standing over there rusting for the longest time." Tin Mare agreed.  
>"Still, I wish I could remember, but I guess it doesn't matter anyway." Applebloom said as she and her friends began laughing. "We know each other now, don't we?"<br>"That's right, we do." The two agreed as Tin Mare and Scarecrow each took a side of Applebloom.  
>"Ta Oz?" Scarecrow asked.<br>"To Oz." Tin Mare agreed.  
>We're off to see the Wizard,<br>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!  
>You'll find she is the Wiz,<br>The Wiz if ever the Wiz there was!  
>If ever the Wonderful Wiz there was,<br>There is because, because, because, because...  
>Because of the wonderful things she does!<br>We're off to see the Wizard,  
>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!<br>The group then continued down the Yellow Brick Road, towards a forest, ready for anything.

* * *

><p>Oh, this is going to be interesting when they get to that forest.<p> 


	7. If I Only Had a Nerve

Chapter 7: If I Only Had the Nerve

The three ponies and Winona walked through the forest as it had gotten dark and claustrophobic with trees on all sides and no way to tell if the trees were alive or not like those apple trees they'd run into just before meeting Tin Mare.  
>"I don't like this forest." Applebloom told her friends. "It's dark and creepy."<br>"Course I don't know, but I think it'll get darker before it gets lighter." Scarecrow said with a gulp.  
>"Do you..." Applebloom began nervously. "Do you suppose we'll run into any wild animals?"<br>"Mm..." Rarity said relatively relaxed, safe thanks to his metal body. "We might."  
>"Animals that..." Scarecrow began, really panicking now. "That eat straw?!"<br>"Some, but mostly lions and tigers and bears." Tin Mare answered.  
>"Lions?!" Applebloom asked.<br>"And tigers?" Scarecrow added.  
>"And bears." Tin Mare finished.<br>"Lions and tigers and bears." Applebloom began. "Oh my."  
>"Lions and tigers and bears." The group repeated. "Oh my."<br>"Lions and tigers and bears!" They said as they began trotting forward. "Oh my!"  
>"Lions and tigers and bears!" They said as they broke into a slight run. "Oh my!"<br>"Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!" They were about to run fully when they happened upon what looked like a winged lion that roared at them, knocking the three off their feet. The lion had a rainbow colored mane and blue fur. She looked around them, all trembling nervously.  
>"Put 'em up." The lion said. "Put 'em up! Which one of you first? I'll fight both of you together, if you want. I'll fight you with one paw tied behind my back! I'll fight you with my eyes closed!"<br>The lion then noticed the ax Tin Mare was still holding.  
>"Oh, pull an ax on me, eh?" The lion said before turning to Scarecrow. "Sneaking up on me, eh?"<br>"Hear, hear." Tin Mare said. "Go away and leave us alone."  
>"Oh scared, huh?" The lion asked. "Afraid, huh? How long do you stay fresh in that can of yours?"<br>She then chuckled.  
>"Come on. Get up and fight you shivering junkyard!" The lion said before turning to Scarecrow. "Put your hands up you lopsided bag of hay!"<br>"Now that's gettin' personal, lion!" Scarecrow said, trying to sound brave but failing badly.  
>"Yes, get up and teach him a lesson." Tin Mare insisted.<br>"What's wrong with you teaching him?!" Scarecrow argued.  
>"Well I hardly know him." Tin Mare said as Winona began barking at the lion.<br>"I'll get you anyway, Pee-Wee." The lion said as she went to Winona as she rushed off when Applebloom ran up and slapped the lion as she began whimpering.  
>"Shame on you!" Applebloom barked.<br>"What did you do that for?" The lion said as she began to weep. "I didn't bite her!"  
>"No, but you tried to!" Applebloom argued. "Why it's bad enough picking on a straw mare, but when you go along picking on poor little dogs!"<br>"Well you didn't have to go and hit me, did you?!" The lion sobbed. "Is my nose bleeding?!"  
>"Well a'course not." Applebloom said confused. "My goodness, what a fuss you're makin'. Well naturally when you go around pickin' on things weaker than you are... Why you're nothin' but a big coward."<br>"You're right, I am a coward." The lion replied. "I haven't any courage at all. Look at the circles under my eyes! I haven't slept in weeks!"  
>"Well why didn't you try counting sheep?" Tin Mare asked.<br>"That doesn't do any good!" The lion insisted. "I'm afraid of them!"  
>"Oh, that's too bad." Scarecrow replied. "Don't you think the Wizard could help him too?"<br>"I don't see why not." Applebloom answered before turning to the green man. "Why don't ya come with us? We're on our way ta see the Wizard now to get her a heart."  
>"And her, a brain." Tin Mare added, pointing to Scarecrow.<br>"I'm sure he could give you some courage." Applebloom finished.  
>"But, wouldn't you be embarrassed to be seen in the company of a cowardly lion?" The lion asked. "I would."<br>"Oh of course not." Applebloom said.  
>"Gee that's awfully nice of you to invite me along." Lion said. "My life has been simply unbearable."<br>"Oh." Applebloom said comfortingly. "Well, it's alright now. The Wizard will fix everything."  
>"It's been in me so long, I just gotta tell you how I feel." Lion said.<br>"Well then come on!" Applebloom said cheerfully as Lion began to explain as they walked.  
><em>It's as sad a thing to see<br>When you're born to be a sissy  
>Without the fim and firb.<br>But I could show my prowess,  
>Be a lion not a mouse<br>If I only had the nerve.  
>I'm afraid there's no denying<br>I'm just a dandelion.  
>A fate I don't deserve.<br>I'd be brave as a blizzard.  
><em>"_I'd be gentle as a lizard._" Tin Mare added.  
>"<em>I'd be clever as a gizzard.<em>" Scarecrow finished.  
>"<em>If the Wizard is a wizard who will serve.<em>" Applebloom pointed out.  
>"<em>Then I'm sure to get a brain.<em>" Scarecrow stated.  
>"<em>A heart.<em>" Tin Mare added.  
>"<em>A home.<em>" Applebloom added as well.  
>"<em>The nerve.<em>" Lion finished before the group headed off.  
><em>We're off to see the Wizard,<br>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!  
>You'll find she is the Wiz,<br>The Wiz if ever the Wiz there was!  
>If ever the Wonderful Wiz there was,<br>There is because, because, because, because...  
>Because of the wonderful things she does!<br>We're off to see the Wizard,  
>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!<br>_And the group headed off, with the forest feeling a lot less threatening then when Applebloom and her friends went into it.

* * *

><p>And now the gang is complete!<p> 


	8. The Poppy Field

Chapter 8: The Poppy Field

Unknown to the group, Nightmare Moon had been watching them through her magical crystal ball which allowed her to see everything in Oz.  
>"Aha." Nightmare Moon said with a small chuckle. "So, you won't take warnings, eh? All the worst for you. I'll take care of you now instead of later."<br>Nightmare Moon then grabbed a bowl of some kind of steaming liquid.  
>"When I gain those Ruby Slippers, my power will be the greatest in Oz." Nightmare Moon said to herself as she had the smoke billow around the crystal. "Now my beauty, something with poison I think. With poison in it, but attractive to the eye and soothing to smell."<br>Just then, an image of a poppy field just outside of the Emerald City appeared.  
>"Poppies..." Nightmare Moon mused. "Poppies. Poppies will put them to sleep. Sleep... Now they'll sleep."<p>

At the other side of the forest, the group emerged and saw the Emerald City shining brightly like a big green star.  
>"There's Emerald City!" Applebloom called out excitedly. "Oh, we're almost there! At last! At last! It's beautiful, isn't it? Just like I knew it would be. He really must be a wonderful wizard to live in a city place like that."<br>"Well come on then." Lion said. "What are we waiting for?"  
>"Nothin'." Scarecrow pointed out. "Let's hurry!"<br>"Yes, let's run!" Applebloom called out, and they rushed through the fields with Tin Mare and Scarecrow keeping their stride as the others were slowing down more and more.  
>"C'mon!" Scarecrow called out. "C'mon!"<br>"Hurry!" Tin Mare insisted. "Hurry!"  
>When they continued to slow down, they went up to them as Applebloom was looking woozy.<br>"What's happening?" Applebloom asked. "I can't run anymore. I'm so sleepy."  
>"Here," Scarecrow said, offering her hoof to Applebloom. "Give us your hooves, and we'll pull ya along."<br>"Oh no, please." Applebloom insisted. "I have ta rest for just a minute. Winona? Where's Winona?"  
>Winona was already fast asleep in the poppies.<br>"Oh, ya can't rest now, we're nearly there!" Scarecrow begged as Applebloom laid down in the poppies, and Tin Mare began tearing up. "Don't cry! You'll rust yourself again!"  
>"Come to think of it," Lion said with a yawn. "Forty winks wouldn't be bad."<br>"Don't ya start it too!" Scarecrow insisted.  
>"No!" Tin Mare agreed. "We gotta try and carry Applebloom."<br>"I don't think I could." Scarecrow admitted. "But I can try."  
>"Let's." Tin Mare said.<br>"Yes." Scarecrow agreed as they got ready to lift Applebloom up when Lion collapsed onto the ground.  
>"Oh look at him!" Tin Mare called out. "This is terrible!"<br>"Here Tin Mare, help me!" Scarecrow asked as they tried to get the two to move, but nothing worked. They couldn't wake them up, and they couldn't even pull them out, as if something was holding their sleeping bodies in place. "Oh this is terrible! We can't budge 'em an inch! This is a spell, this is!"  
>"It's the Wicked Witch!" Tin Mare said with a look of horror and realization. "What do we do?! Help! HELP!"<br>"It's no good screamin' at a time like this!" Scarecrow insisted. "Nopony can hear ya!"  
>Scarecrow then called out for help as well while Tin Mare continued to cry as Scarecrow thought she could make out a flying figure in the distance with a white coat, a rainbow colored mane with wings and a unicorn horn as snow seemed to descend down on them.<br>"It's snowing!" Scarecrow said before she shook her head, sure she was just seeing things. "No it aint."  
>Just then, snow hit him, and it really was snow.<br>"YES IT IS!" Scarecrow called out, astonished. "Maybe that'll help. Oh, but it couldn't help."  
>Scarecrow looked down as Winona and Applebloom began to stir.<br>"It does help." Scarecrow said relieved. "Applebloom, you're wakin' up!"  
>Applebloom woke up, thoroughly confused as Lion woke up as well.<br>"Unusual weather we're having, aint it?" Lion asked with a smile as Applebloom and Scarecrow chuckled and brushed the snow off of them as Applebloom looked at Tin Mare frozen in place.  
>"Oh look." Applebloom sighed. "She's rusted again. Oh, get me the oil can, quick."<br>"Here." Scarecrow said as he handed the can to her.

As Applebloom's friends oiled Tin Mare, Nightmare Moon watched outraged in her crystal ball.  
>"Curses!" The witch called out. "CURSES! Somebody always helps that girl! But shoes or no shoes, I'm still powerful enough to conquer her and to all of those who try to stop me!"<p>

After Tin Mare was restored the group prepared to head out again.  
>"Let's get outta here!" Applebloom said cheerfully. "Look, Emerald City is closer and prettier than ever!"<br>The three then skipped along.  
><em>You're out of the woods!<br>You're out of the dark!  
>You're out of the night!<br>Step into the sun!  
>Step into the light!<br>Keep straight ahead  
>For the most beautiful place<br>On the face of the Earth  
>Or the sky...<br>Hold onto your breath!  
>Hold onto your heart!<br>Hold onto your hope!  
>March onto the gate<br>And bid it open!_

Back at her lair, Nightmare Moon decided to use her most useful tactic, fear. She spread her wings and headed to the window.  
>"To the Emerald City as fast as lightning!" The witch called out as she cackled evilly launching off to the City.<p>

* * *

><p>THEY MADE IT! YES! Uh-oh. Now they've got a witch on their tail.<p> 


	9. The Merry Old Land of Oz

Chapter 9: The Merry Old Land of Oz

After a long trek and the near miss with the poppies, the gang was finally within a stone's throw of the Emerald City and walked up to the gate.  
><em>You're out of the dark!<br>You're out of the night!  
>Step into the sun!<br>Step into the light!  
>March onto the gate<br>And bid it open!  
>Open...<em>  
>By the door there was a long rope bell, and they rang it as a stallion with black hair and a white coat came up. He was dressed in a blue and yellow uniform.<br>"Who rang that bell?!" The figure asked angrily.  
>"We did!" The group remarked.<br>"Can't you read?!" The doorstallion asked angrily.  
>"Read what?" Scarecrow asked.<br>"The notice!" The doorstallion insisted.  
>"What notice?" The group asked again.<br>"It's on the door." The doorstallion said. "Plan as the nose on my-"  
>He glimpsed at the door as the note wasn't there and he quickly went back in and slapped the notice onto the door.<br>"'Bell out of order. Please knock.'" The group read as they then knocked on the door.  
>"Well, that's more like it." The doorstallion said. "Now state your business."<br>"We wanna see the Wizard." The group explained.  
>"The Wizard?" The doorstallion asked alarmed. "The Wizard?! But no one can see the Great Oz! No one has ever seen the Great Oz! Even I've never seen her!"<br>"Then how d'ya know there is one?" Applebloom asked.  
>"Because she's in my..." The doorstallion began before he stopped himself and groaned. "You're wasting my time!"<br>"Oh please, please sir." Applebloom pleaded. "I've gotta see the Wizard. The Good Witch of the North sent me."  
>"Prove it." The doorstallion said with a suspicious glare.<br>"She's wearin' the Ruby Slippers she gave her." Scarecrow responded as the doorman looked down and saw the slippers.  
>"Well so she is." The doorstallion responded, much friendlier. "Well bust my buttons! Why didn't you say so in the first place? That's a horse of a different color! Come on in!"<br>They headed into the city and saw that everything in the city was colored green, right down to the clothes, to match the emeralds.  
>"Cabby!" A mare with a wild white mane cut in a blue and yellow outfit called out. "Cabby! Just what you're looking for! Take you anyplace in the city, we do!"<br>"If ya please, we wanna see the Wizard." Applebloom explained.  
>"The Wizard?" The cabby asked in shock. "The Wizard?! Well I uh... Yes, of course! But first I'll take you to a place where you can tidy up a bit, eh?"<br>"Oh, thank you so much!" Kara said excitedly. "We've been gone such a long time, and we feel so messy."  
>They then headed out with a good chuckle that seemed to come from the city and spread through it.<br>_Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!  
>And a couple of tra-la-las!<br>That's how we laugh the day away  
>In the merry old Land of Oz!<br>Buzz-buzz-buzz! Chirp-chirp-chirp!  
>And a couple of la-di-das!<br>That's how the crickets crick all day  
>In the merry old Land of Oz!<br>The cabby led them to a beauty parlor.  
>We get up and twelve<br>And start to work at one!  
>Take an hour for lunch<br>And then at two we're done!  
>Jolly good fun!<br>Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!  
>And a couple of tra-la-las!<br>That's how we laugh the day away  
>In the merry old Land of Oz!<br>Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!  
>And a couple of tra-la-las!<br>That's how we laugh the day away  
>With a ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!<br>In the merry old Land of Oz!  
><em>At the parlor, several people were restuffing Scarecrow for some of the straw that had fallen out during the journey and also giving him a bit extra for endurance.  
><em>Pat-pat here. Pat-pat there.<br>And a couple of brand new straws.  
>That's how we keep you young and fair<br>In the merry old Land of Oz!  
><em>Meanwhile, Tin Mare was getting scrubbed and polished to make her metal body shine.  
><em>Rub-rub here. Rub-rub there.<br>Whether you're tin or bronze.  
>That's how we keep you in repair<br>In the merry old Land of Oz._  
>Applebloom meanwhile was being attended to by several spa workers who curled her hair and made her look very regal indeed.<br>_We can make a dimple smile  
>Out of a frown.<em>  
>"Can ya even dye my eyes to match my gown?" Applebloom asked.<br>"Mm-hm." The workers said.  
>"Jolly ol' town!" Applebloom called out as Lion was getting a trim all over her body.<br>_Clip-Clip here. Clip-clip there.  
>We give the roughest claws...<em>  
>"<em>That certain air of savoir faire in the merry old Land of Oz.<em>" Lion finished.  
>"<em>Ha-ha-ha!<em>" Scarecrow laughed as he saw Lion's pedicure.  
>"<em>Ho-ho-ho!<em>" Tin Mare chuckled at Lion's manicure.  
>"<em>Ah-ha-ha-ha!<em>" Applebloom laughed at Lion's new cape.  
>"<em>Ha.<em>" Lion replied good naturedly.  
><em>That's how we laugh the day away<br>In the merry old Land of Oz!  
>That's how we laugh the day away<br>With a ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!  
>In the merry old Land of Oz!<br>_They continued to laugh together when in the sky they saw black smoke billowing from a distant object and very familiar laughter.  
>"Who's she?" Lion asked nervously. "Who's she?"<br>"The witch!" Applebloom said even more nervously. "She's followed us here!"  
>Just then, Nightmare Moon left leaving a billowing bit of sky-writing that read in uneven letters...<br>Surrender Applebloom!  
>"Applebloom?!" A citizen asked. "Who's Applebloom?!"<br>"The Wizard will explain it!" Another citizen responded.  
>"The Wizard!" Yet another citizen called out as they all headed off.<br>"Oh dear!" Applebloom gulped. "Whatever shall we do?!"  
>"Well we better hurry if we're gonna see the Wizard!" Scarecrow said quickly and plainly.<br>With that, the group rushed off.

* * *

><p>Oh boy. Just when they think they're safe, Nightmare Moon attacks.<p> 


	10. If I Were King of the Forest

Chapter 10: If I Were Queen of the Forest

The gang rushed to a door the citizens of Oz were crowded at as a stallion with a white coat, a blue mane, and purple armor with gold lining was holding them back.  
>"Here!" The figure called out. "Here, here! Everything is alright! Stop that now! Everything is alright! It's alright! The Great and Powerful Oz has got matters well in hand... I hope. So you can all go home, and there's nothing to worry about. Go on home. Go home."<br>As the crowd dispersed, the group walked up to the guard.  
>"If you please sir," Applebloom said calmly. "We wanna see the Wizard right away. All four of us."<br>"Orders are nopony can see the Great Oz!" The guard barked. "Not nopony! Not no how!"  
>"But please, it's very important!" Applebloom pleaded.<br>"And I got gussied up just for the occasion." Lion added.  
>"Not nopony! Not no how!" The guard repeated.<br>"But she's Applebloom!" Scarecrow blurted out, pointing at Kara.  
>"The witch's Applebloom?" The guard asked before looking her up and down and noticing the Ruby Slippers. "Well, that makes a difference. Just wait here. I'll announce you at once."<br>The guard then walked through the door.  
>"Did ya hear that?" Scarecrow asked. "He'll announce us at once! I've as good as got my brain!"<br>"I can barely hear my heart beating!" Tin Mare remarked excitedly.  
>"I'll be home in time for supper!" Applebloom pointed out just as excited.<br>"In another hour, I'll be queen of the forest!" Lion remarked. "Long live the king!"  
><em>If I were Queen of the Forest,<br>Not king, not duke, not prince.  
>My regal robes of the forest,<br>Would be satin, not cotton, not chintz.  
>I'd command each thing, be it fish or fowl.<br>With a woof and a woof and a royal growl - woof.  
>As I'd click my heel, all the trees would kneel.<br>And the mountains bow and the bulls kowtow.  
>And the sparrow would take wing - If I - If I - were King!<br>Each rabbit would show respect to me.  
>The chipmunks genuflect to me.<br>Though my tail would lash,  
>I would show compash<br>For every underling!  
>If I - If I - were Queen!<br>Just Queen!  
><em>The group then helped dress Lion up as a king as they smiled.  
><em>Monarch of all I survey.<br>Mo-na-a-a-a-arch of all I survey!  
><em>"Your majesty, if you were queen, ya wouldn't be afraid of anypony?" Applebloom asked with a smile.  
>"Not nopony!" Lion remarked proudly. "Not no how!"<br>"Not even a rhinoceros?" Tin Mare asked.  
>"Impossiros." Lion remarked with a smirk.<br>"How 'bout a hippopotamus?" Applebloom asked.  
>"Why I'd trash him from top to bottomus." Lion remarked again.<br>"Supposing ya met an elephant?" Applebloom went on.  
>"I'd wrap him up and sell himphant." Lion went on.<br>"What if ya met a brontosaurus?" Scarecrow went on.  
>"I'd show him who's queen of the forest!" Lion finished.<br>"How?" The group asked at once.  
>"How?!" Lion asked aghast. "Courage. What makes a king out of a slave? Courage. What makes the flag on the mast still wave? Courage. What makes the elephant charge his tusks in the misty mist or the dusty dust? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage. What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage. What makes the dawn come up like thunder?! Courage. What makes the Hottentots so hot? What puts the ape in apricot?! WHAT HAVE THEY GOT THAT I HAVEN'T GOT?!"<br>"Courage." The other three said.  
>"You can say that again." Lion said with a chuckle before stopping. "Wait."<br>Just then, the guard burst in.  
>"The wizard says go away!" The guard shouted as he returned to his post."<br>"Go away?" Everyone asked, dejected.  
>"Looks like we've come a long way for nothin'." Scarecrow said as her shoulders bowed in embarrassment at coming at all.<br>"Oh, and I was so happy!" Applebloom sobbed, thinking about Granny Smith and what Trixie had said. "I thought I was going home!"  
>"Don't cry, Applebloom." Tin Mare said, trying to comfort her. "We're gonna get you to the Wizard."<br>"We certainly are!" Scarecrow agreed, no one knowing that the guard had begun listening to the poor girl crying.  
>"Granny Smith was so good to me." Applebloom went on, unable to control herself. "And I never appreciated her. Running away and hurting her feelings. Trixie said she was sick... She may be dying, and it's all my fault!"<br>The guard continued to blubber as the three try to comfort Applebloom.  
>"Oh, I'll never forgive myself!" Applebloom wept. "Never, never, never."<br>"Oh, please don't cry anymore!" The guard blubbered. "I'll get you into the Wizard somehow! I had a Granny Smith myself, once!"  
>The guard continued to blubber and cry as he let them in.<p>

* * *

><p>Oh... That was so sweet!<p> 


	11. The Wizard

Chapter 11: The Wizard

After the group walked through the door, they found themselves in a dark and foreboding hallway as they all went nervously down it. Even the natural light reflected from the emeralds seemed dim.  
>"Wait a minute, fella!" Lion said quickly. "I was just thinking. I really don't wanna see the Wizard this much. I better wait for you outside."<br>"What's the matter?" Scarecrow asked, nervous, herself.  
>"Oh, she's just scared again." Tin Mare pointed out.<br>"Don't you know the Wizard's gonna give ya some courage?" Applebloom pointed out, trying to remind J'onn of why he came.  
>"I'd be too scared to ask her for it." Lion pointed out, fretting worse and worse with every step.<br>"Well then we'll ask him for ya." Applebloom said reassuringly.  
>"I'd sooner wait outside." Lion said as she prepared to rush off when Tin Mare and Scarecrow grabbed her.<br>"Why?" Applebloom asked. "Why?"  
>"Because I'm still scared!" Lion admitted.<br>Lion rang her tail as she called out.  
>"What happened?" Scarecrow asked in shock.<br>"Someone pulled my tail!" Lion said as Scarecrow pulled her tail away.  
>"Ya did it yourself." Scarecrow pointed out.<br>"I..." Lion began before she looked at her tail. "Oh."  
>"Come on." Scarecrow advised.<br>They went on and arrived at a dimly lit and enormous throne room with only a throne and flames billowing from the side.  
>"Come forward!" A booming voice called out from seemingly nowhere.<br>"Tell me when it's over!" Lion called out as he covered his eyes.  
>The group nervously went on as smoke began billowing on the throne that turned into an enormous, ghostly head.<br>"Look at that!" Lion called out in alarm. "Look at that! I WANNA GO HOME!"  
>"I am Oz, the Great and Powerful!" The head called out. "Who are you?"<br>No one said a word as they could only tremble at her.  
>"Who are you?!" The Wizard asked again, only louder.<br>"If you please, I am Applebloom, the small and meek." Applebloom began as she walked up. "We've come to ask-"  
>"SILENCE!" The Wizard called out.<br>"Oh, Jiminy Cricket!" Applebloom shrieked as she rushed back to the others.  
>"The Great and Powerful Oz knows why you have come." The Wizard stated. "Step forward, Tin Mare."<br>Tin Mare walked up nervously with a gulp.  
>"YOU DARE TO COME TO ME FOR A HEART, DO YOU?!" The Wizard called out again. "You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk?!"<br>Tin Mare gulped before trying to put on a brave face.  
>"Y-yes sir. Yes your honor." Tin Mare said. "You see, awhile back, we were walking down the Yellow Brick Road, and-"<br>"SILENCE!" The Wizard barked as Tin Mare quickly went back to the others. "And you, Scarecrow, have the effrontery to ask for a brain, you billowing bail of bulging boarder!"  
>"Y-yes your honor..." Scarecrow began before changing what he said. "I mean your majesty! Uh... Your wizardry!"<br>"Enough!" The Wizard said as Scarecrow went back to the others.  
>"And you, Lion..." The Wizard began as Lion went up and just stared, nervously.<br>"Well?!" The Wizard snapped, and Lion passed out as the others went to him.  
>"You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" Applebloom snapped. "Frightening her like that when she came to ya for help!"<br>"SILENCE WHIPPER SNAPPER!" The Wizard shouted out before calming down. "The Magnificent Oz has every intention of granting your request."  
>At those words, Lion popped up.<br>"What'd she say?" Lion asked in shock. "What'd he say?"  
>"But first, you must prove yourselves worthy by performing a very small task." The Wizard added. "Bring me the helmet of Nightmare Moon!"<br>"But if we do that, we'd have to kill her to get it!" Tin Mare argued nervously.  
>"Bring me her helmet, and I'll grant your request." The Wizard insisted. "Now go."<br>"But..." Lion began. "But what if she kills us first?"  
>"I SAID GO!" The Wizard snapped as Lion sped off and through a window as the others went the more indirect route.<p>

* * *

><p>Oh... That's gonna be a toughie.<p> 


	12. The Manticore

Chapter 12: The Manticore

As they entered the west, Tin Mare, Scarecrow, Lion, and Applebloom walked up to a sign with nets, rocks, guns, and a hatchet. What made the situation worse were the crows' dark calls which unnerved all of them. Eventually, they reached a sign at the border of Nightmare Moon's country.

"'I'd turn back if I were you.'" Lion said as she began to head off when Tin Mare and Scarecrow caught her, and they continued on.

As the disturbing sounds continued, everyone became more and more on edge.

"I believe there's spooks in here." Scarecrow said as he clutched her rocks.

"That's ridiculous." Tin Mare insisted, trying to sound brave, but still sounding nervous all the same. "Spooks. That's silly."

"Don't you believe in spooks?" Lion asked.

"No." Tin Mare insisted. "Why-"

Just then, Tin Mare was lifted up by nothing and dropped down as everyone went to her.

"Oh my goodness!" Applebloom remarked.

"Are ya alright?" Scarecrow asked.

"I do believe in spooks." Lion chanted to herself, trying not to make them mad like she believed Tin Mare had. "I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks."

()()()()()

From her crystal ball, Nightmare Moon chuckled at the sight of the cowering lion.

"Ha-ha." Nightmare Moon scoffed. "You'll believe in even more than that before I'm done with you."

Nightmare Moon then approached an army of Pegasai with bat wings, one of her slave races.

"Take your army to the Haunted Forest and bring me the filly and her dog." Nightmare Moon ordered. "Do what you like with the others, but I want her alive and unharmed. They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that. I sent a little pet of mine ahead to take the fight out of them. Now fly! FLY!"

Nightmare Moon cackled as the Night Guards took flight and headed for the haunted forest.

()()()()()

As the group was nervously looking around the area, they heard a low but loud growl.

"_Did you just hear what I just heard?_" Applebloom asked nervously.

"_That noise didn't come from no ordinary bird._" Lion pointed out.

"_It may be just a cricket or a critter in the trees._" Applebloom said, trying to sound hopeful but failing as the noise came again.

"_It's given me the jitters in the joints around my knees._" Tin Mare said with a gulp.

Ben then looked up to see what looked like the creature.

"_I think I see a creature, and he's fuzzy, and he's fury._" Scarecrow pointed out. "_I haven't got a brain, but I think I oughta worry._"

"_I haven't got a heart, but I've got a palpitation._" Tin Mare responded with a gulp.

"_As monarch of the forest, I don't like the situation._" Lion said as he stood his ground, surprisingly.

"_Are ya gonna stand around and let him fill us full of horror?_" Applebloom asked to no one in particular.

"_I'd like to roar him down._" Lion said as she gulped. "_But I think I lost my roarer._"

Just then, the creature lept down, and the four got a good look at it. It was a Manticore. A creature with the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and the wings of a dragon. It roared and knocked Lion and Scarecrow back effortlessly as it went to Applebloom and roared as Tin Mare stepped in its way.

"Oh no, you don't!" Tin Mare shouted as she kicked the creature in the head with such force and strength that its head went completely around, and it fell to the ground dead, and Tin Mare fell to the ground gasping as her hind legs were severely dented.

"It's okay." Applebloom said as she gasped. "We'll fix you up back at the Emerald City."

"Yep, the worst is over." Scarecrow assured him when they heard flapping and saw bat-winged Pegasai come up and attack them.

They basically smashed into Scarecrow, knocking out most of her stuffing as after that they just took out whatever straw was left in everything but her head and tossed it away, so that the whole area was covered in straw.

They banged up Tin Mare even worse than the punch to the creature, and she didn't even have time to retaliate as they'd leap back after each blow.

Lion was made a mockery of as she couldn't evade their weapons due to their incredible agility and ended up very bloody.

Applebloom then screamed as the Pegasai grabbed Applebloom and Winona and flew off with her as the others caught their breath and went to Scarecrow.

"What happened to you?" Tin Mare asked. She couldn't see a thing through all the Night Guards until they rushed off.

"They took my chest out and they threw it over there." Scarecrow said as her still stuffed hoof pointed to her right before pointing the other way. "Then they took my legs off and threw them over there."

"Oh, that's you all over." Tin Mare sighed as she began stuffing Scarecrow back up.

"They sure knocked the stuffing out of ya, didn't they?" Lion asked.

"Don't stand there, talking!" Scarecrow snapped. "Put me together. We have to find Applebloom!"

"Now let's see…" Tin Mare said as she and Lion went to work trying to put Scarecrow back together.

* * *

><p>Oh boy… That took a turn for the worst.<p> 


End file.
